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This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. Good morning, I'm David Greene.

Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, is in Israel today. He spent the morning meeting with Israeli and Palestinian officials, and he paid a visit to the historic Wailing Wall. Romney, just a few minutes ago, wrapped up a speech near the Old City in Jerusalem. And in it he talked of his commitment to stand side by side with the Israeli government on Iran.

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Saturday, expectations were sky-high for Michael Phelps, who already has the biggest gold medal haul in Olympic history. There was a much-anticipated showdown with swimming teammate Ryan Lochte, which turned out to be no showdown at all. The expectations continue Sunday at the Olympic Aquatics Center, as NPR's Howard Berkes reports.

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If you own a smartphone, chances are it's made by Apple or a company that Apple is suing. And for the first time tomorrow, one of those lawsuits is going to a jury trial. Apple wants more than two and a half billion dollars from Samsung for what it claims is patent violation.

NPR's Laura Sydell has been following this story and joins us. Hey, Laura.

LAURA SYDELL, BYLINE: Hi.

GREENE: So, two and a half billion dollars? I mean is that real? That's a huge amount of money.

Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey is an American classic with a distinctive black-labeled bottle that kind of looks like the typeface on an old wanted poster. Patrick Wensink wrote a novel called Broken Piano for President with a cover that was clearly inspired, maybe a little too much, by Jack Daniel's.

While Major League baseball is big and epic, there's something magical about sitting in a small stadium. Guest host David Greene reports on the progress of Minor League Baseball player Tyler Saladino at one of his team's away games. Saladino is an infielder for Alabama's Birmingham Barons.

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Imagine being able to rock a piano so well that Aerosmith wants you as its touring keyboardist. That's what happened to Russ Irwin, and he's been sharing the stage with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry for 15 years.

"I'm staring at their backsides," he tells NPR's David Greene. "It's an interesting place to be."

Mike Lee is one of the most conservative members of the Senate. The freshman Utah Republican was elected with strong Tea Party backing and, like Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, he's a man of the West.

Mention the possibility that Thune, 51, might team up with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and Lee's eyes light up: "I love John," he says. "He's articulate, passionate, collegial. I mean ... I think he'd be great."